Support for Japanese Cabinet Plunges to Lowest Level

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 16, 2003

Support for Japanese Cabinet Plunges to Lowest Level

The approval rate for the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plunged to the lowest level in a poll since he took office in April 2001, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.

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The approval rate for the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plunged to the lowest level in a poll since he took office in April 2001, Kyodo News reported on Sunday.

The support rating fell to 41.3 percent, down 7.5 percentage points from a month earlier while the disapproval rate rose 5.3 points to 41.5 percent, Kyodo said.

The telephone survey, conducted Saturday and Sunday by Kyodo, showed that 38.5 percent of respondents cited their lack of confidence in the cabinet's economy policies for their nonsupport.

A total of 19.2 percent of respondents, a 5.7-point leap from the previous month, said Koizumi has failed to show leadership.

Frustration with the Koizumi cabinet is simmering as the public watches Japan's handling of the Iraqi crisis, Kyodo said.

Koizumi has so far not spelled out to the public why Japan would throw support behind the U.S., which is preparing a war to overthrow the Iraqi government.

The Koizumi cabinet is also being criticized for money scandals involving members of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), including a House of Representatives member who was removed earlier from the party over alleged misuse of donations.

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